Better Left Forgotten

*Vlamira*

~Then~

It was raining the day my mother told my sister and me about the Silas. I remember how we huddled around her hanging on to her every word as the rain beat against the window panes.

"Oh my beautiful girls." She'd coo and she'd run her fingers through my hair. "Always remember that you are of magic. Born of the earth and sky we are the earth's children." She whispered and a sense of pride would swell in my chest.

Every night it was the same. She'd tell us of the magic that flowed through our veins and how we had a great responsibility to heal and nourish the earth and respect all of its creatures. We were all gifted with the ability to heal one another as well as restore the earth's children with a single touch. We were her guardians and her protectors as we had been for thousands of years.

"The Silas," She said "is a gift from the sky." I recall being mesmerized by the new development in her story and when I leaned closer her blue and violet eyes twinkled in the fire light.

"Every fairy is given gifts from the earth." She mused and then she'd pause dramatically until I was bouncing with anticipation. "But, on a fairy's thirteenth birthday the sky chooses a select few to bestow its gifts. Those fae are said to be gifted with the Silas." Her eyes drifted away from our expectant faces and instead began to peer out our rain spattered window, a far off look clouding her features.

"Well!" I edged and tugged at her long sleeves trying to pull her away from her thoughts and back into her story.

"The Silas are beautiful gifts." She whispered and began to mindlessly trace the intricate swirls tattooed on her wrist. I'd never questioned why she had it, it was just a part of her.

"Some graced with the Silas can bend the stubborn flames of a fire to their will, others can hear the voices of the wind and know all of the secrets they tell." She continued and a small smile formed on her lips when she added, "some fae can speak the language of the rivers."

At this an excited smile stretched across my small face. "Does mommy have the Silas then?" She smiled at me then, a pleased look crossing her face. "Yes." She said and raised her tattooed wrist. "This is the mark I was given by the council that tells others of the gift I have been given." I stared at her beautiful swirled markings in new found awe.

"Cool! I want to be able to read minds!" Aneihla gushed and our mother let loose a delighted chuckle.

"I do not think that is a Silas little lamb." And Aneihla's expression fell.

"What about weather!" I chirped. "I want to be able to make it stop raining whenever I want." My mother's soft chuckles slowly faded away an unreadable look crossing her features.

"There is such a Silas." She ventured. "It is rare though and whoever has it has the heart of the sky." My excitement only grew as she told us more about the Silas.

"Who has the heart of the sky now momma?" I asked and that troubled look crossed her face once more.

"No one does little lamb. No one has for the last 500 years." Suddenly a little disappointed I asked, "Well why not?" She laughed at my pouting expression and her eyes softened as she looked down at me.

"It is a good thing love. The heart of the sky only appears when the sacred balance between the earth and its children is disrupted." Her long graceful fingers tucked a stray lock of hair behind my ear as I tried to digest what she was telling me.

"Whats that mean?" I finally asked. If nature always had a way of fixing itself then how could the balance ever be disrupted?

"It means Vlamira," She whispered softly, "That if the heart of the sky were to show up now, everything would change."

~Now~

I was torn out of my thoughts by a sudden flash of lightening and the accompanying sound of thunder as it shook the sky. All of the rain made me remember that day so long ago when I had huddled next to a warm fire and listened to my mother's stories.

I rested my forehead against the cool glass of the window and wished myself back to those times. Back when I wasn't a creature of hate, guilt, and regret.

"What are you thinking about love?" I heard a deep voice ask and strong arms wrapped protectively around my waist pulling me closer. His presence and sudden display of affection caught me off guard.

"My mother." I let slip and I clamped my mouth shut to prevent any other pieces of my past from slipping through my traitorous lips.

Lucian smiled against my neck pleased that I had finally shared something with him. I pretended that the flutter in my belly was one of annoyance and not attraction.

"What is she like?" He asked and because this man knew exactly how to make me lower my guard he lightly kissed the place where his mark was making my knees turn to jelly. I hated how much power he had over me.

"She was beautiful." I finally answered and the soft gentle sound of my voice startled me. I didn't even know I could make my voice that gentle.

A heavy silence fell over the room as Lucian found meaning in my words. "I lost my mother too." He finally said. It was the first time I'd heard anything about Lucian and I'd be lying if I wasn't curious. Stepping out of his arms I turned to look at him my curiosity etched on my face.

"Curious about me love?" He asked and I scowled in response earning a small chuckle from Lucian.

"She died when I was 8." He finally said and a sadness clouded those storm grey eyes. Without even thinking about it I was reaching out to him, my small hand cupping his face. Surprise momentarily flitted across his face before a gentle smile formed on his lips and he leaned into my touch.

I was curious as to how it happened but since I wasn't willing to share what happened to my own mother, I felt it was only fair I didn't ask what happened to his.

Looking over Lucian's shoulder I caught sight of a board next to the fire. Rows of beautiful intricately carved figures stood erect on its surface gleaming magnificently by the fire. I was captivated. Pulling my hand away from Lucian, I ventured closer to the board and ran my fingers along the smooth ebony of the head of a horse.

Noticing my interest Lucian took a seat on the opposite side of the game, his very large frame dwarfing the board and the pieces that adorned it.

"Care for a game?" He asked and with the fire casting shadows on his features, he resembled that of a devil preparing to make a deal for my soul. His sharp teeth gleamed in the firelight as I slowly lowered myself in my chair looking curiously at the carved pieces before me.

"I don't know how to play." I finally admitted.

"It's a game of the wits." Lucian explained and my interest began to grow as he plucked the piece bearing a cross off the board.

"The whole idea is to capture the king." He continued and he showed me the piece he held. "Every other piece is just a means to do it."

"What would I want with a king?" I asked and Lucian's mouth tilted up at the edges.

"Well, to render him powerless I suppose." He said and my own lips twitched in the beginnings of a smile.

"I think I might like this game."

*Lucian*

"How about a bet?" I asked and I watched her chew her lip as she considered my offer. I watched in adoration as her beautiful face took on a serious frown.

"What kind of bet?" she finally ventured and I knew I had her. My little beauty was too competitive to ever pass down a challenge.

"If you win I'll grant you 3 wishes." I said and I watched as her vibrant eyes lit up with excitement. "If I win though," I continued and the excitement began to ebb way into weariness, "then you'll have to answer any 3 questions that I have and answer them honestly."

I waited patiently while she raged war with herself and I sat back enjoying the storm of expressions that clouded her face as she considered the pros and cons of my offer.

Next to the glow of the fire, her silver blonde hair fell over her shoulder in soft waves making me want to run my fingers through it. That same fire that made her hair shine like spun silver had the same unearthly ability to make her expressions seem softer, more vulnerable than in the harsh light of the sun.

"Deal." She finally said and my smile only widened. Soon, I'd know everything there was to know about my beautiful little warrior.

*Vlamira*

Half way into the game and I was already regretting my decision. Lucian was merciless and I cringed when his smooth voice filled the air confirming my fears. "Checkmate."

I sighed and sat back in defeat waiting expectantly for his question. I expected him to go easy on me just because I was used to the gentle way he handled me, as if I was a fragile piece of porcelain that needed to be moved delicately. The bold directness of his question though caught me off guard.

"Who was Arlette?" I tensed at her name and then stared out angrily across the table at a very serious Lucian.

My mind raced to find a way around the question but then I grew tired of it and finally just answered him. "She was a princess." I whispered and my words fell heavy in the silence. "and I was her playmate."

Lucian regarded me in quiet curiosity, a torn look crossing his features. He wanted to ask so much more than the remaining two questions allowed.

"How did she die?" He finally asked and I hated him a little for asking.

*blood was everywhere. It was on the walls, on my clothes, and on the floor. Arlette's hair that once shone like spun gold now fanned out around her soiled and matted in a sea of blood. Her breaths came in short painful gasps as she desperately tried to suck in air and I took a step back as the blood that pooled around her edged closer to my bare feet.

I vaguely remember something slipping from my hands and falling to the floor. Mostly though, I just remember what true silence sounded like when she stopped wheezing. *

"She got what she deserved." I finally said and my voice sounded far away as I desperately tried to push back the memories that threatened to flood my mind. When I finally succeeded, Lucian was still looking at me, telling me with the quiet steel of his eyes that my answer had not satisfied the question.

"I killed her." I forced out and although I wanted it to come out annoyed and strong, a weak mummer was all that came through.

"why?" he whispered and when I met his eyes I was surprised to see a deep sorrow there as if my self-hate was paining him somehow.

"Because if anyone deserved to die," I said softly, "It was Arlette."

*************************************************************************

Lucian must have felt some remorse for his ruthless barrage of questions because before he was called to attend some pack duty, he had a large apple pastry sent to my room and a slip of paper that read, "forgive me my love, in repentance for my cruel behavior, I'll grant you three wishes. With love – Lucian."

Against my will, my lips tugged upward and I folded up the slip of paper tucking it in my pocket just in case he denied having ever sent it. I was going to have fun with those wishes. I wasn't going to go easy either.

The rain had finally stopped and I watched as the sun broke through the clouds so that it could finally start warming the Earth's crust. I thought of Lucian making his rounds on the outside. He wouldn't be back for at least another three hours.

Angry at the small voice in the back of my head that told me I missed him, I looked again at the few clouds that still dotted the sky. Glaring fiercely at the sun as it peeked through I waved it away and turned my back to the group of clouds I knew were now clustering together and clouding the sun.

Thunder and lightening split open the skies and rain came pouring out dousing everything in its path. As I stepped away from the window and the wrath I'd created in the skies, I pettily hoped that werewolves hated the rain.